Throwing Up Shadows
by Griffin Stone
Summary: (AU) Lena has something to tell Scrooge in the other bin, but a strange curse stops her before she can. While Webby struggles to help her friend against a mysterious sickness and a seemingly invisible foe, Dewey and his brothers race to unravel the secrets that surround Lena. It's time to shed some light on the shadows, but will Webby and Lena's friendship survive it?
1. A Shadow's Rebellion

**A/N: Ever wonder what might have happened if Lena hadn't let Scrooge walk away while she was trying to confess in the other bin? I do.**

**This started out focusing on Webby, then I realized I needed a second persepective because a fair amount goes on without Webby (especially later, when the ending ran away from me) so most chapters are divided between Webby and Dewey.**

**I started this months ago, so it's actually fully written! The first half should be decently edited by now. ;P**

* * *

It had been a crazy day. Somehow, a failed attempt to sneak into Scrooge's room turned into discovering his "other bin" of endless possibilities and a sword horse.

Webby oh-so-wanted to keep exploring the other bin, but seeing Lena writhing on the ground and feeling her shake after rousing from the nightmare kind of ruined Webby's excitement. So, she didn't mind when Lena suggested leaving.

Scrooge wasn't too happy when they ran into him on their way back, but Webby thought his frown was a little proud. She and Lena had found and survived the other bin, even if they hadn't seen the dragon. Maybe he'd bring her back some other day.

She was busy mentally running through points to make to Scrooge -she wanted more information on the "other" things he kept down here, she could learn about these creatures in case she ever encountered one outside, there was a _dragon_\- when she realized Lena wasn't following her and Scrooge.

"Mr. McDuck, there's something I need to tell you."

Scrooge paused. Webby ran to the next spiral of the staircase so she could look down. Lena was still on the floor, and had her fists clenched and brows drawn together.

"My aunt is ma-" Lena broke off with a shudder. Maybe it was the lighting, but Webby could have sworn a shadow flickered across her eyes. "My aunt is ma…"

Lena's arms clamped to her sides as she seemed to struggle to get her words out. But her beak moved silently.

"Yes, lass, jus'spit it out," Scrooge said.

Lena's face scrunched like she was in pain. "Ma-a…"

"Lena?" Webby leaned over the railing. "You okay?"

Lena put her hand in front of her mouth while she struggled to speak, like she was feeling for the words. Panic flared in her eyes as her voice turned into a choking sound. She grasped frantically at her throat, eyes widening.

"Lena!" Webby cried. She vaulted over the railing, landing on the floor in a crouch. "Lena, what's attacking you?"

"M-my au-au… aunt-t," Lena ground out.

Her aunt? Was her aunt some sort of invisible creature? No, Lena was a normal duck.

Lena fell to her knees, body jerking as she tried to suck in air. Without warning, Lena gagged. She coughed out a thick mess of black, then shakily lifted her head.

Black flecked her beak and her eyes were dark as she whispered weakly, "Help… me."

Lena's eyes rolled back, then she went limp. Webby jumped forward, catching and supporting her friend. Though, considering Lena was twice her size, Webby found herself quickly losing her grip.

Scrooge suddenly swept Lena into his arms. Webby bounced up, worriedly eyeing Lena's limp frame as the pair made their way toward the stairs.

"Let's get'er tah bed, Webby," Scrooge said. Halfway up the steps, Scrooge said, "Webbigail." Webby looked back with wide eyes at the use of her full name. "Ah need yew tah tell me exactly what yew two touched down here."

"Just the sword horse and mystical dreamcatcher," Webby explained. "Why? Could they have made her sick?"

"Ah'm not sure, lass." Scrooge paused. When Webby looked up, he was frowning over his shoulder. "But somethin' has ah hold on yer friend."

* * *

The boys were looking for Uncle Scrooge when they ran into Webby. Literally.

Dewey bounced off the wall, but stayed on his feet. Huey -still raw from running off Tenderfeet- fell flat on his back and stared at the ceiling with a broken expression in his eyes. Louie, holding a can of Pep at the back of the group, avoided most of the collision.

"Alright, what's chasing you?" Louie asked blandly. "Do I need the flame resistant vest or a helmet? Or both?"

Dewey turned and attempted to pull Huey to his feet. He glanced up while Webby struggled to answer Louie's question and was surprised by her terrified expression. He promptly dropped his older sibling and went to Webby.

"Webby, what's wrong?"

Webby shook herself. Dewey frowned. She'd faced ghosts, mummies, and evil agents from her granny's past. What could have her so rattled?

"Webby?" Dewey said, touching her arm.

Webby blinked. "Have you seen Granny?" she asked, a bit shakily.

"She's in the kitchen," Louie said.

Webby nodded curtly, then darted past the boys without explaining. Dewey hesitated for a split-second, then he and his brothers ran after her. They raced through the halls, down the steps, and burst into the kitchen.

"Granny!" Webby yelled.

Mrs. Beakly spun, one hand coming up defensively while the other wielded a spatula in the fierce way only she could pull off. Her eyes scanned the room, then she relaxed.

"Webby, what-"

Webby rushed across the room and tightly hugged her legs, startling Mrs. Beakly into silence. The housekeeper glanced at the boys. Huey shrugged.

Dewey peered closer at Webby. His beak dropped open. Was Webby shaking?

"Webby, what's wrong?" Granny asked. "Are you hurt?"

Webby shook her head and stepped back, pulling on Granny's hand. "Scrooge needs you in my room. Lena's sick!"

"Sick?" Granny repeated.

"I-I think so?" Webby shook with uncertainty. "She was just fine, but then she started choking, then she threw up and fainted, and, and- come on!"

Webby tugged Mrs. Beakly out of the kitchen. This time, Dewey didn't even hesitate. He ran after the pair, arriving at the doorway at the same time as them.

Lena was laying on a makeshift bed of sleeping bags. Two thick blankets were covering her, but Lena was shivering hard. Uncle Scrooge stood over her, expression distracted.

"What happened?" Huey asked.

Webby shrugged helplessly. "We only touched the sword horse and dreamcatcher, I promise!"

Dewey blinked. Where in the world would Webby have found a unicorn?

"Ah ken, ah ken, lass," Scrooge said. "There's few objects in the other bin that could cause… this."

"Wait, 'other bin'?" Louie repeated.

"Full'o curses and other ne'er-do-wells," Scrooge responded.

"Oh."

"What exactly is 'this'?" Granny asked.

Scrooge glanced at Webby. "Kids, wait in the hall."

"But-"

Lena's gag cut off Webby's protest.

"Beakly, help me-" Scrooge started.

Lena jerked upright. Her eyes shot open, revealing grey sclera. She twisted to the side and threw up on the sleeping bags.

Scrooge gave a groan as he grabbed Lena when she went limp again. "Beakly, ah suggest burnin' those bags. Webby, help me, lass."

Webby scurried to help Uncle Scrooge move Lena. Dewey and Louie dragged an uncontaminated blanket into another nest, but Huey was staring at the spot on which Lena had thrown up.

"Uncle Scrooge? What is that?" Huey asked.

"Don't touch it!" Scrooge admonished. "Beakly, keep an eye on Lena, ah need tah check somethin'."

"Uh, Mrs. Beakly?" Huey said hesitantly, making everyone look up. He was staring at the sleeping bags. "It disappeared."

"What disappeared?" Mrs. Beakly asked.

Uncle Scrooge paused at the door and sighed. "Shadows, Mrs. Beakly. Lena's throwin' up shadows."

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of Scrooge's accent? It's my first attempt at writing such a thick accent. It took a lot of listening to episodes and several comics to get it this far. XD**


	2. A Shadow's Secret

**A/N: I got excited and posted another chapter real fast. 0w0 The first couple chapters jump around a little bit, but they'll settle down soon.**

* * *

Ten minutes passed in mostly silence. Webby had been left alone with Lena when Granny had called the boys into the hall.

All Lena did was shiver. The hand in Webby's was like ice. She was breathing fine, aside from the occasional gasp like she had forgotten to breathe.

"Webby."

Webby blinked and wondered how long Granny had been in front of her. "Yes?"

"We need to call Lena's parents," Granny said. "Do you know their number?"

Webby slowly shook her head. "I don't think her parents are around. She's never talked about them, just an aunt sometimes."

"Alright, her aunt's number?"

"I don't know," Webby said.

"Where does she live, then? We can go there and let her aunt know."

Webby opened her mouth, then hesitated. She frowned. She hadn't really thought about it before, but where _did_ Lena live?

"I… I don't know."

Granny raised an eyebrow. "You've been friends for months, and you don't know where she lives?"

Webby shook her head. "We called each other when we wanted to hang out, and I never went to her place. I've never seen her even around a house… she goes to that old L'Orange theater down at the beach a lot, though. Maybe she lives around there?"

Granny hummed in thought. "Perhaps."

Webby perked up. "Hey, I know how to find her aunt's number!"

Webby left Lena long enough to grab her friend's backpack, which she carried back. She hesitated to search through Lena's possessions, then decided Lena would understand. She dug out Lena's phone and turned it on.

"Aw," Webby said when she saw the wallpaper: a picture Webby had taken of her and Lena on a previous sleepover. "I thought she had deleted this one."

In the picture, Lena was half-asleep and still in her PJ's. Her toothbrush was poking out of her mouth, and she was half turned toward the camera. Webby's grinning face took up the bottom half of the picture.

Webby shook herself. Grateful Lena didn't lock her phone -Webby felt slightly better since she didn't have to actually break into it- Webby quickly pulled up Lena's contacts. She blinked.

"She's only got one number… and it's mine," Webby said.

That wasn't normal, right? Webby had over two dozen contacts in her phone, and she hadn't even left the mansion until the Duck triplets had arrived. How could Lena have only one?

"That is a bit strange," Granny said. "But perhaps she hasn't needed to keep many numbers in her phone."

"I guess," Webby said. "But how can we tell her aunt?"

"I'll send the boys and Launchpad to check the amphitheater. Maybe they will notice something to lead us to where she lives"

Granny left, closing the door quietly behind her. Webby watched her go, then returned her focus on Lena. She gasped when she saw her friend's eyes were open.

"Lena, you're awake!" Webby said, smiling.

Lena's eyes flickered around. "Wh-where…?"

"You're in my room," Webby explained. "You kind of passed out on us down in the other bin. Do you remember? Let me tell Granny-"

Webby was halted from standing when Lena's hand grabbed her wrist. She looked down and was startled by the intensity in Lena's eyes. The grey-tinting sclera did nothing to help the fact.

"Web-bby, l-listen-en," Lena said, words stumbling in her shivering. "A-at the L-L'Orange, un-nder-t the s-stage. B-book-k. E-exp-p-plains ever-rything."

"A book under the stage explaining everything, got it," Webby repeated.

Lena's expression twisted. "S-sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"D-don't be-e m-m-m-"

Lena jerked, then started to choke again. Her hand fell from Webby's wrist, going to her throat as she writhed.

"Granny!" Webby yelled, running for the door.

A mass of black surged across the floor and shot up to cover the door. Webby skidded to a halt as the mass -shadows?- formed a vague duck shape. Glowing red eyes appeared, glaring down at her.

"You! Leave Lena alone!"

Webby snatched a flashlight from the floor and shined it on the shadow. At the same time, the door was flung open.

As the door slammed into the wall, shadows briefly spread, as if the shadow had gotten pancaked between the door and wall. In the doorway, Dewey squinted in the light.

"Webby?" Dewey raised a hand to shield his face. "What's going on?"

Webby moved her light from Dewey and raced to peer behind the door. The only shadows she saw belonged there and vanished under the beam of the flashlight. Webby turned back to Lena, who now laid quietly.

"What happened?" Granny asked. "Webby, is everything alright?"

Webby shook her head and turned. Granny had joined Dewey in the doorway.

"I think I saw what is hurting Lena," Webby said. "Lena woke up for a little bit and was telling me about a book. But then she started choking again and, when I tried to get you, this big shadow came out of nowhere!"

Granny's expression hardened. "If the shadows are alive… What did Lena tell you about the book?"

"She said it was under the stage," Webby relayed. "She said it explained everything? Granny, do you think Lena knew she was sick?"

"I don't know." Granny shook her head. "If a shadow attacking Lena appeared outside her body to stop you… this isn't just a run-of-the-mill curse."

"That's a thing?" Dewey asked.

"And it's nothing Scrooge keeps in his other bin," Granny went on. "Dewey, you and your brothers get that book. Be quick, and come straight back. Webby, stay with Lena while I get Mr. McDuck. Get as many lights as you can on in here."

"Will that help?" Webby asked, heading to the attic for more lights as Dewey ran off.

"I hope so," was all Granny said.

* * *

Not long after, the triplets caught a ride to the L'Orange heater with Launchpad. They quickly spread out to search. Even Louie was on his hands and knees on the dirty stage once Dewey had explained what he knew.

"Why would a stage even have a trapdoor?" Louie still complained.

"Actors used the trapdoor to get under the stage, especially when a play called for a dramatic exit," Huey readily explained.

"Oh, a hole in the floor. Exciting," Louie dead-panned.

"Ah, here!" Huey yelped.

Dewey turned. Huey was standing defensively, watching a trapdoor swing open on its own. Dewey ran over and took one glance at the darkness before pulling off his backpack. He whipped out a flashlight.

"Oh, thanks, Dewey," Huey said, taking the flashlight to peer into the hole.

"Since when are you the prepared triplet?" Louie asked.

"Since I discovered we might be fighting shadows," Dewey responded. He took out another flashlight.

"Oh, good point."

"It doesn't go far," Huey reported. "Follow me!"

"Since you're volunteering to go first into the dark, mysterious hole, why not?" Louie said blandly.

Dewey glanced at his younger sibling. He sounded nonchalant, but Dewey thought he looked tense. Dewey shrugged at him, then jumped after Huey.

The triplets filed down the ladder Huey found under the trapdoor. They climbed a short way before coming to a short hall, which led to stairs.

"Hello?" Huey called.

The stairway quickly opened into a room. Dewey swung his flashlight around, seeing a bed and table across the room. Near the entrance was a small fridge. There were a few rugs and chairs. Knicknacks ranging from a lava lamp to an unidentifiable skull were scattered around the room.

"Did Lena live here?" Huey wondered.

Louie made a vaguely disgusted sound. "No wonder she's always sleeping at our place."

"I think it's nice!" Dewey declared, picking up a glowing, palm-sized stone. He went to put it down, but the stone was sticking to his feathers. "Slightly less nice. Uh, guys?"

"Stop messing around, Dewey," Huey said. He swept his light along the walls. "Ah, there's the light switch."

Huey flicked the switch. A deep purple light filled the room, giving the space an even more eerie feel.

"Nope," Huey said, turning the blacklight back off. "Let's just find the book, okay?"

Dewey flicked his hand, finally causing the stone to release him. He winced as it bounced across the floor and rolled under the bed. He ran after it, afraid of damaging Lena's glowing, sticky rock. He reached under the bed and felt around.

Instead of a rock, though, his hand found something flat and smooth. He grabbed it and pulled it out, shining his light on it.

"Hey, I think this is it!" Dewey said.

"How do you know this is the right book?" Huey asked.

Louie turned and shrugged. "I don't see any other books around her. Open it up."

Dewey opened the cover and read, "'Property of Lena DeSpell. Hands off. That means you.'" Dewey looked at his brothers. "I think it's a journal."

"So we probably shouldn't read it," Huey said, reaching for the journal.

"No, wait." Dewey turned the page. "Webby thinks whatever is wrong with Lena was going on before tonight. If that's true, maybe Lena wrote about it."

Dewey flipped through the book. It seemed to be mostly random bits about Lena's day, with the occasional mention of artifacts and her Aunt Magica.

"Wait, her aunt's name is Magica?" Huey asked. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"Lena's probably said it," Louie said.

Dewey shrugged and turned another page. This time, he found a poem written in large letters. Doodles of bones, lightning, coins, and necklaces filled the margins. A sketch of a dark form with red eyes -the only color in the journal Dewey had seen- dominated the opposite page.

"Wait." Huey said.

The eldest triplet snatched the journal. He held it close to his face and scanned the poem with narrowed eyes. His eyes widened as they raced back to the top to start again. He closed the journal with a snap.

"We need to get back to the mansion," Huey said softly, then turned and raced for the steps.

"What, why?" Louie asked as he and Dewey followed.

Huey glanced over his shoulder. "I think Uncle Scrooge is in danger!"

* * *

**A/N: In the first episode of the orginal show, the Beagle Boys gather in the L'Orange Theater. Lena's home needed a name, so, boom. There it is.**

**Things will really pick up in the next chapter! (You'll probably kill me for it, too. 0_0)**


	3. A Shadow's Reveal

**A/N: Buckle up, because everything's going downhill from now on.**

* * *

"There we go!" Webby stepped back. "I'd like to see a shadow get through this!"

Webby had all the lights on in her room and three desk lamps surrounding Lena. Nearly a dozen flashlights -spares for the flashlights stashed throughout the mansion- prevented shadows on the walls or floor. Her glowing rocks surrounded Lena's nest in the middle of the floor.

Webby wished she had a shadow sword or dagger. She knew Scrooge had some someplace from the time he fought Magica and her shadow army fifteen years before, and wondered where he stored them.

Work done, Webby sat on the floor beside Lena and took her hand. It felt warmer. Webby hoped it wasn't just her imagination.

"Scrooge will be here soon," Webby said to fill the silence. "He'll know how to fix this curse."

Lena shuddered. She writhed and coughed, flecking her beak with black. Webby wiped Lena's beak then tossed the handkerchief under one of desk lamps, where the black flecks faded away.

Webby fiddled with her shirt. For the dozeneth time, she wished Lena's issue was something she could help fight. Lena shouldn't have to save herself. Webby hoped her efforts were helping, though.

"No," Lena moaned, startling Webby.

"Lena?"

Lena's eyes clenched. She turned onto her side, breath getting stuttery and weird again.

"Oh, Lena, just hang in there," Webby pleaded, looking around for more lights.

"No… no…" Lena moaned. "W-won't… let…"

Webby dodged to the side when Lena gagged, but nothing came out. Lena continued to dry-heave, while Webby knelt uncertainly beside her friend. Webby rubbed Lena's back, remembering Granny doing the same when she was sick.

Lena jerked, then threw up a huge glob of shadow. Lena's eyes snapped open, normal once again. She scrambled backward from the shadows, dragging Webby with her.

"Lena, what-"

Webby noticed the strings of shadow going from Lena's mouth to the glob on the floor. All the light did nothing to the shadow, which started writhing.

"Webby, you have to get out!" Lena ordered, free hand pointing toward the door. "I can't-"

The shadows raced across the floor to Lena, who froze when they reached her. She shook her head and blinked. Her eyes darkened slightly.

"Lena?" Webby said cautiously.

_Slam!_

Both young ducks jumped and turned. Granny stood at the door, fists clenched. Her eyes scanned the room, landing on Lena and hardening.

"Step away from my grandaughter," Granny ordered harshly.

Lena jerked her hands away from Webby and slowly rose to step back. "Mrs. Beakly, I'm so-"

"Webby, get over here," Granny interrupted.

Webby obeyed Granny out of habit, though her gaze stayed on Lena. Her friend curled her arms around herself, eyeing Granny like she might strike at her.

"What's wrong, Granny?" Webby asked, avoiding Granny's efforts to herd Webby behind her.

"The boys just called," Granny said, not taking her eyes off Lena. "They found the book."

For some reason, Lena grinned. "That didn't take as long as I- _gack!_"

Lena gagged and choked. Webby tried to run to her, but Granny scooped her up.

"Granny, she needs help!" Webby pleaded.

"N-no, Web-bby," Lena said, wiping her beak. "I-it's too l-late f-for m-me."

"I don't understand," Webby said, looking to her grandmother. "What's wrong with Lena?"

"That isn't Lena," Granny said, tone falling as she finally looked at Webby. Her eyes were sad. "There never was a Lena."

"Wh-what? You're wr-rong!" Lena protested. "I-I'm Len-na!"

"No." Granny's expression hardened. "You're a monster."

Lena flinched, as though the words had been physical blow. An odd expression crossed her face, a mixture of sadness, anger, and resignation. She dropped her head.

"That's what she said you'd say," Lena whispered, voice flat and steady.

Lena lifted her head, and Webby flinched back at the sneer that twisted her beak. In a flash, her eyes turned pitch black.

"Lena!" Webby screamed.

"There is no Lena," Lena said, voice fake-sweet and mocking and cruel and _not hers_. "Only shadows."

Lena lunged.

* * *

"According to the journal entries, Lena is a spy left behind by Magica to take out Scrooge and the whole McDuck clan," Huey explained as Launchpad somehow managed to drive even more recklessly toward the mansion. "Lena is a sentient shadow, brought to life by the remnants of Magica's magic."

"Who's Magica?" Dewey asked.

"An evil sorceress that Uncle Scrooge defeated fifteen years ago," Huey said. "I knew I'd heard the name before, but I didn't remember where until I read Lena's journal entry about the day she was 'born.' Uncle Scrooge trapped Magica somewhere -nobody knew where- but Magica still managed to make Lena. She must have spent the last fifteen years trying to get to Uncle Scrooge!"

"And we let her right into the mansion!" Dewey exclaimed, slapping a hand to his face.

"Hey, that was all Webby."

Dewey and Huey glared at Louie. The youngest triplet shrugged.

"I just want to make it clear, for the record, that we had nothing to do with this."

A screech of brakes saved the two elder siblings from responding. Dewey jerked forward against his seatbelt as the limo slammed to a halt against the fountain in front of the mansion.

"We're coming, Mr. McDee!" Launchpad yelled, leaping from the driver's seat.

Dewey unbuckled himself and crawled to the front of the limo to turn it off. He stood and turned back to his brothers slowly getting out of the car. They didn't ride with Launchpad as much, and were still getting used to his method of stopping.

"Come on, guys! Let's go catch ourselves a shadow!" Dewey cried.

Huey threw his arms up with an enthusiastic yell. Louie just looked like he'd rather not, but that was normal.

Dewey led the charge into the mansion. The siblings ground to a halt in the foyer. Launchpad was gone -no surprise there. Luckily, the house still looked normal.

"Webby's room first?" Dewey guessed.

"It's where Lena was when we left," Huey said. "But, how do we fight a shadow?"

"With these!"

Dewey spun with a defensive yell, then relaxed when he saw it was just Uncle Scrooge. The older duck had an armload of weapons, which he dumped on the floor. The weapons were all the same charcoal black in color, and had silver highlights on the handles and sheaths.

"Shadow blades!" Uncle explained.

"Cool!"

Dewey snatched up a belt with a pair of small sheaths attached. He buckled it around his waist and unsheathed one of the long daggers. The blade was a deep black in color, but somehow semi-transparent.

"Is it really a good idea to give Dewey daggers?" Huey asked as Louie quickly chose a scythe-like blade.

"Nonsense, Dewey can handle a blade," Uncle Scrooge said.

Dewey beamed at him and unsheathed the second blade. He dropped into an offensive stance, glaring at the wall and silently daring any shadows to attack.

"Besides." Uncle Scrooge unsheathed his own sword and _sliced through his own arm?!_ "These blades cannea touch mortals."

Dewey reminded himself to breathe. He sheathed one dagger to poke at the other blade. Sure enough, his finger passed right through the dark blade.

Huey eyed the final weapon: a mace as big as him. Dewey thought he'd just leave it, but a determined frown crossed his older sibling's face. Huey grabbed the handle and, with a groan of effort, heaved the mace against his shoulder.

And promptly tipped over.

Dewey winced. "Huey?"

"Go on!" Huey said, staring at the ceiling. "I'll catch up!"

Dewey didn't hesitate. He bolted toward Webby's room, keeping an ear out for the sounds of fighting. His first clue, however, came in a completely different direction.

Reaching an intersection in the halls, Dewey turned left. A loud crash from behind made him jump and spin around.

Down the right side of the hall, Mrs. Beakly was sitting against the wall. She stood, rubbing the back of her head and scowling at something out of sight.

"Mrs. Beakly!" Dewey yelped, pointing when Uncle Scrooge poked his head into sight.

"Get the boys out of here!" Mrs. Beakly yelled.

She ducked to avoid a spear, then yanked it out of the wall and hurtled it the way it had come. Dewey ran past her, dodging Uncle Scrooge's hands and slid beside Mrs. Beakly, drawing his daggers as he did. The daggers lowered almost immediately at the sight confronting him.

Lena stood halfway down the hall. Her eyes were black as night and there was an evil grin on her beak. Her sweater was torn, revealing a glowing amulet. Shadows swirled around one hand and the other hand glowed purple.

"Wh-what is that?" Dewey asked shakily as Uncle Scrooge joined them.

Uncle Scrooge only drew his sword.

"Scroogie, darling," Lena said a voice that wasn't hers. "Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

...Dewey was slightly disturbed by flamboyant wave of Lena's hand. Not because of the way shadows swirled with her fingers, but because that was _not_ something Lena would ever do.

"'Tis a fittin' greetin' for a thief," Uncle Scrooge said, eyes narrowed and voice surprisingly light.

Magica (Dewey was just… going to call her that now) gasped and put her shadowed hand to her chest. "I'm the thief? You stole, well, me! Now look at me!"

"Ah think a child's form suits yew just fine," Uncle Scrooge said, grinning.

Magica was silent for a moment, then gave an indignant screech when she caught on. Dewey leaned closer to Mrs. Beakly.

"Where's Webby?" Dewey whispered.

"I'm not sure," Mrs. Beakly murmured back. "I told her to find you, and she ran off. She could be anywhere."

That was for sure. Webby was hard to track, even when their lives weren't in danger. She was probably watching from the ducts as they spoke, or getting the shadow mace from Huey, or planning some elaborate-

"Lena, stop!"

Or, she could be standing behind Magica, unarmed and yelling at the top of her lungs.

* * *

Webby knew she was supposed to find Scrooge and the boys to help Granny. She knew she couldn't touch Lena in her current state, as she had no shadow weapons. She knew… she just knew she had to help her best friend.

"This isn't you!" Webby cried, trying to not flinch when black eyes turned to her. "You aren't evil!"

"Webby, get outta here!" Scrooge yelled.

"We can fix this," Webby went on. "Please, just stop! I don't want to fight you! You're my best friend!"

Lena stilled. The shadows retreated slightly. Lena straightened and took a step closer. Her eyes started to clear.

"Pink…" Lena murmured in her regular voice.

Then one of Lena's hands whipped forward and a bolt of energy flew at Webby.

Pure instinct had Webby leaping out of the way. She vaulted off the wall and landed in a crouch close to Lena.

"You foolish little girl," Lena sneered.

Webby's resisted the urge to close her eyes, as if the act could block out the malicious voice coming from Lena's beak. She forced herself to look at darkening eyes and the smirk on Lena's beak.

"It was real, wasn't it?" Webby whispered.

"Dense, too," Lena said, snatching Webby up by the back of her shirt.

"Put her down!"

Granny's yell was followed by a shriek from Lena. Webby was spun quickly, shadows curling and snapping around her. She reached out, finding something solid with one hand before it slid off, leaving slick and cold liquid in her hand. A blur of motion, then Webby felt herself hurtled through the air. She slammed into something hard and slid upside-down to the floor.

"Webby!" Dewey yelped.

Dewey and Louie turned Webby upright. Webby blinked and stared past Granny and Scrooge standing defensively between the kids and Lena.

Lena formed a crackling whip of lightning and snapped it at the adults, forcing them to dodge away. Liquid dribbled from a slice in her side like blood, but pitch black.

Webby looked at the burns Lena's whip left on the wall. At Dewey's smoking feathers from where the whip got too close. At Granny holding Louie's scythe, ignoring the blood slowly staining her sleeve. Finally, at the smear of black on her own palm.

Webby closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes, vision blurring through tears she shouldn't shed for a friend she'd never even had.

"Granny was right," Webby whispered. The battle paused, allowing her next words to fill the brief silence. "You're a monster."

* * *

**A/N: My finger slipped.**

**When I was writing this chapter, I just couldn't figure out what weapon to give Huey. Cass suggested an oversized mace, and I fell in love with the idea. XD**


	4. A Shadow's Betrayal

**A/N: Slightly shorter this time, butI think this was my favorite chapter to write.**

* * *

Lena hesitated for a second. Then her eyes narrowed and red pupils appeared. Black swirled around both hands.

"Go, go!" Scrooge yelled, shoving the kids.

The group dove out of the hall, seconds before a powerful blast of shadows tore through the wall. Webby, tugged along by Dewey, ran numbly for a few seconds before she shook herself.

"I'm okay," she told Dewey.

Dewey glanced at her. "Are you sure?"

"No," Webby said honestly.

"We need room t'maneuver!" Scrooge said, unaware of Webby's emotional turmoil.

"To the foyer!" Louie said. "Then outside, let Magica have the mansion!"

"She isnea here for the mansion," Scrooge said. "She's here for mah number one dime!"

"_What_ is up with that dime?!" Louie exclaimed.

"It's where ah trapped Magica," Scrooge said.

"Oh," said all the kids.

The group raced into the foyer, where Huey was struggling with an oversized mace in the middle of the room.

"Hey, guys," Huey said, looking up from the mace. "Where's-"

There was a loud shriek from behind. Webby spun as Lena burst into view.

"Lena?!" Huey yelped.

"Not anymore," Dewey muttered.

"Spread out and surround'er!" Scrooge said. "Her magic will be weak now!"

Webby rolled under Lena's shadow whip, leaping up beside Dewey. The middle triplet offered her a dagger. Webby took it, but it hung loose in her hands.

"Okay, here's the plan," Dewey started, but was batted away by shadows before he could even start.

Webby jumped, suddenly finding Lena in front of her. She raised the dagger with both hands, shaking so hard she could barely hold the weapon.

"Oh, now, this is just pathetic," Lena sneered.

Webby found herself grateful that Lena's voice had changed to what she now realized to be Magica's. Because she didn't think she would have been able to keep it together otherwise.

"I came here looking for a fight," Lena went on. She casually slapped Granny away with shadows. "But if this is the best you can do…"

There was a wild war cry from behind Lena, then Lena stumbled forward. She twisted around, revealing Huey lifting the mace from his strike.

"Oh, that's just-" Lena was interrupted by Huey smashing the mace against her beak. She nasally finished, "Droll."

"How could you?!" Huey demanded, slamming the mace into Lena's side. "We trusted you!" Jabbed her in the stomach. "We were your friends!" Bashed her foot. "You betrayed Webby!"

This time, Lena caught the mace. Despite being bent double from the attack on her stomach and foot, she still lifted the mace and Huey.

Huey, finding himself dangling off the floor, chuckled uncertainly. Lena carelessly tossed him and the mace aside, knocking over Dewey and Louie as they rushed to their brother's aid.

Lena turned and trained black eyes on Webby, who found herself trembling. Her weak, clumsy hold on the dagger did nothing to stop it from slipping between her shaking fingers and to the floor.

Lena glanced at the fallen dagger, then drew herself up without attacking. Shadows swirled under her feet, pushing her up so she was even taller.

"Get out of here," Lena said.

Webby stilled. It was Lena's voice. Not the cold and mocking of Magica, but Lena's. Just… what? Tired? Scared? Resigned?

"Lena?" Webby whispered.

"There is no Lena!" Lena bellowed, voice changing again.

Red pupils flashed into existence, then Webby was batted across the foyer. She hit the wall hard, but rolled onto her hands and knees. She was buzzing with too much relief and joy to feel the pain.

It wasn't fake. Lena was still in there; Magica had just stolen her body! The darker Lena's eyes, the less control she had. And if her ruthlessness was any indication, Webby guessed that the red pupils meant Magica had full control.

Webby eyed the shadows battling Scrooge and Granny. She'd never seen them around Lena in the past and Lena _had _been throwing up shadows before this all started. Maybe…

Webby didn't let herself think, only threw herself into a run. She snatched up the dagger and leaped with a yell. She sliced through a shadow tendril, causing Lena to jerk back with a shriek. Webby rolled to her feet in front of Granny.

"Focus on the shadows, not Lena," Webby said. "Lena _is _in there, we just have to separate her from Magica."

"That's impossible, lass," Scrooge said, staggering to his feet. "Magica is Lena, and Lena is Magica. They're the same!"

"No." Webby glared into Lena's black eyes. "You aren't the same. I don't know what Magica did to you, but-"

"She _made _me!" Lena -the _real _Lena- snapped. "I'm nothing but her shadow and magic."

"No," Webby said again. "You're more than that. You're _Lena_. The rebellious teenager who doesn't follow the rules. The troublemaker that's always getting me out of trouble. You're fun and wild and… and, you're my best friend!"

A snarl crossed Lena's beak. She lunged forward. Webby dodged one way while Granny and Scrooge went the other. Webby heard a crackle and threw herself to the floor. A bolt of electricity flew over her head. She bounced back up and spun.

Lena's expression was twisted, pained. Behind her, Scrooge and Granny hesitated. The boys, finally untangled, froze where they stood.

"Please, Lena, let us help," Webby said, stepping forward.

Lena shook her head and smirked, even while her eyes lightened slightly. "You just don't get it, Webby. I'm the _bad guy._ You know how this goes. Aunt Magica, can I?"

Webby's brow furrowed. "Huh?"

A flick of Lena's hand, then Webby was batted to the floor. Another flick, and the boys were wrapped up in a rug. Shadows coiled up around Scrooge and Granny before they could recover, pinning them where they stood.

Lena strolled over to the adults and studied them. Scrooge writhed uselessly, sputtering out a ramble of insults Webby couldn't untangle.

Lena spun on her heel. "Too bad I left my diamond dagger in the other bin. What else can I use to cut that string?"

"L-Lena?" Webby said, sitting up. She scooted backward on her butt, closer to Granny. "Don't do this, please!"

Lena simply crouched and picked up Webby's fallen dagger. She glanced at Webby. The shadows had retreated, save the ones holding Granny and the McDucks. If it wasn't for the dark eyes, Webby wouldn't have been able to see anything but Lena betraying her again.

"Let us help!" Webby pleaded, starting forward.

Shadows curled around Webby's legs, halting her. She thrashed, but couldn't escape the shadow's iron grip.

"You can't help me, Pink," Lena said with an odd grin.

Scrooge caught sight of the dagger. "Yew might as well drop the dagger, Magica. Yew're more likely tah hurt yewrself. It cannea hurt me or the string."

Lena ignored him, instead meeting Webby's eyes. Lena blinked, eyes clearing in the split-second it took to flip the dagger. Her odd grin widened.

"I know."

And Lena plunged the blade into her own chest.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry-not-sorry. See you Saturday!**

**It's a good thing I wrote this whole thing before posting... mostly because I had Magica's eyes as purple until nearly the end of the process.**


	5. A Shadow's Freedom

**A/N: I got some really good reviews on the last chapter. I love you guys.**

**GodofGreed asked if Magica felt the stab, so I'm going to reassure everyone that Magica totally felt it. XD**

* * *

"Lena!"

Webby's scream was drowned out when the very shadows _shrieked_. They spasmed, dropping their captives to race back to Lena. Webby scrambled to her feet, but Granny grabbed her arm before she could go to Lena.

Lena fell to her knees, hands coming out just in time to stop herself from falling on the dagger. Her whole frame shivered. A cry escaped Lena as she violently vomited a pile of shadows as big as herself.

"What have you done?!" cried Magica's voice, the shadows taking on their own form to loom over Lena. "Stop this!"

Trails of shadow ran from Magica to Lena's beak. Black even trailed from her eyes, as though she was crying shadows. Black dripped from where the dagger impaled her. Still, she raised her head to glare at Magica.

"I won't let you hurt my friends anymore!" Lena panted.

"You're only going to kill yourself!" Magica snarled, shadow hands reaching for the dagger.

Lena slapped the shadows away. "Then I'm taking you with me."

Magica hesitated. Her glowing eyes narrowed as a spine-chilling cackle filled the room.

"Ah, darling, do you really think your little act of defiance could stop me?"

Lena gave a wretched gag. She threw up another black blob into Magica's form. Instantly, the tendrils from her mouth and eyes connecting her to Magica broke. Lena grunted and dropped to her elbows.

"You never could contain me," Magica crowed. "We _are_ separate, you and I. You wanted to be free? See how this works out for you."

"Wh-what?" Lena gasped.

Magica drew herself up, glowing eyes glaring at the gathered ducks. "I'll be back."

Magica dropped to the floor, her shadows racing for a window. Scrooge grunted in surprise and raced after her.

Webby writhed in Granny's grip, but couldn't break free. She abruptly put her arms straight up and went limp, slipping from Granny's grasp. She darted forward before Granny could stop her.

"Lena!" Webby dropped to her knees beside her friend. "Lena?"

Lena turned her head, giving Webby a sorrowful look. "S-sorry. I thought…"

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Webby hurriedly cut in. "Now we know Magica's out there and, hey, you're free from her!"

Lena blinked. Slowly, a grin spread across her beak. "Yeah…"

Webby grunted in surprise when Lena abruptly flopped into her. She turned Lena onto her back, doing her best to avoid the black blood on the floor.

"That looks really bad," Webby said, eyeing the dagger still in Lena. "But don't worry, I'm practiced in field medicine! Just on dummies, but, um… Granny's here, she'll fix you up. Right, Granny?"

Granny slowly joined Webby, as did the boys. Webby looked hopefully up, then tried to not wilt under Granny's sad gaze.

"Wh-" Webby swallowed. "What do we need to do?"

"Nothing, Webby." Lena's cold, slick hands took Webby's. "It's… it's okay."

Webby shook her head and tried to joke. "E-even shadows need stitches, Lena."

"Webby, l-look at me," Lena ordered. Webby met her determined gaze. "I-I don't think e-even your g-g-" Lena swallowed thickly. "I-it's okay."

"Yeah, everything will be okay," Webby said. "Just breathe and stay calm, and… and… Lena!"

Lena's drooping eyes blinked. "Pink… lemme go." She shuddered, and Webby tried to ignore the black that dribbled from her beak.

"Y-you can stay with us now," Webby said, blinking rapidly. "We'll g-get another bed in my room and…" Webby whimpered. "Don't go."

Lena squeezed her hand, eyes sliding shut. "S'kay, really." Her next words were little more than a sigh. "'M free."

Webby sniffled. "Lena?"

Lena didn't open her eyes. Didn't take another breath, but maybe that was okay, she'd been struggling for a moment there, maybe she just needed a moment or-

"She's gone," came Scrooge's disgruntled voice. Granny jolted, then Scrooge added, "What? Ah was talkin' aboot- oh."

Webby had to sit down. She didn't let go of Lena's hand, only stared at her friend's face. For some reason, she looked more relaxed than Webby had ever seen her.

"She didn't deserve this," Webby whispered. Everyone started, causing her to wonder how long she'd been silent. "She didn't choose this."

"Lena made a noble choice ," Granny said. "Magica can't hurt her anymore."

Webby couldn't stand to look at Lena's calm face. She let go of her hand and turned to Granny, hiding her face in Granny's chest.

"There, there, Webby," Granny said, rubbing circles on her back.

"Uh, Uncle Scrooge?" Huey said. "What's happening?"

Webby turned hurriedly from Granny, despite Granny's efforts to hold her back. A dismayed wail came from Webby's beak.

At first glance, Lena hadn't changed. But Lena's legs were turning transparent. She was disappearing!

"She really was a shadow," Huey murmured.

Webby grabbed Lena's hand again, trying to ignore how cold it was becoming. She squeezed Lena's hand and closed her eyes.

"You were my best friend," Webby whispered. "I wish you could have stayed."

A tingle ran down Webby's back, making her shiver. Gasps from the others prompted Webby to open her eyes. Her beak dropped open.

Lena had mostly faded, leaving a greenish outline of her body. Her feet and one hand had completely disappeared. Her other hand -the one in Webby's- was normal. While Webby watched, the normalcy spread down her arm.

Webby's eyes locked on her friendship bracelet. It was glowing blue, and the glow was taking over Lena's frame. Brighter and brighter, until Webby had to close her eyes.

An almost electric feeling shot through Webby, vanishing as quickly as it had come. With it, went the glow behind her eyelids and seemingly all of Webby's energy.

Webby opened her eyes to see Lena back to normal. The dagger laid on the floor, the bloodstains gone from the floor and Lena's shirt. Lena was breathing again and her hand was warm.

Webby smiled weakly. She wobbled, black edging in on the edges of her vision.

"Welcome back," Webby whispered.

Webby toppled forward, everything going black as she felt arms catch her.

* * *

Dewey saw Webby's eyes roll back. He lunged forward, narrowing catching her before she could hit the floor.

"Webby, wake up!" Dewey yelped.

Mrs. Beakly took Webby, but couldn't go far. Her and Lena's fingers were tightly laced together, so Mrs. Beakly just set Webby beside Lena.

Lena. Who'd gone crazy five minutes ago, who'd died a minute ago, who'd started breathing again five seconds ago.

"What just happened?" Huey asked. "Do we need to tie up Lena or…?"

"Ah donea think so," Uncle Scrooge said thoughtfully.

"If we did, Webby would be furious," Louie said. "We'd have to tie her up, too, and I've seen her chew through rope."

"No tying anyone up," Dewey said. "Lena's a good guy now. Er, shadow? Uncle Scrooge, what happened?"

Uncle Scrooge hummed. He pulled Lena's amulet into sight, revealing it to be pale blue now. He smiled.

"Webby must have activated the amulet," Uncle Scrooge said. "She was able tah brin' Lena back, free from Magica."

"We should put them in bed, at least," Huey said. "All magic has a price, and I'm guessing this amulet requires the user's energy."

Dewey gave Huey an odd look.

"What?" Huey shrugged. "The JWG has a chapter on magic."

Of course it did. "What do we do now?"

"Rest and fluids." Huey pulled out his Guidebook. "Keep an eye out for backfiring magic."

"From who?" Louie asked. "Lena?"

"Uh…" Huey flipped a page. "Both? It all depends on how connected Webby is to the amulet."

"I'll put the amulet away," Mrs. Beakly said. "That will lessen the chances of backfires."

"Probably shouldn't do that," Huey said. "Until Lena can tell us whether or not amulet's magic is keeping her alive. It probably always has. She never takes it off, so she might not be able to."

"Your book has a chapter on living shadows?" Dewey asked.

"Not yet!" Huey said, pulling out a pencil to scribble in the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook.

"It never does tah mess with magic," Uncle Scrooge said. "Leave the amulet on Lena. It might help her recover."

Dewey nodded knowingly.

"Do what you like," Mrs. Beakly said. "I'm putting Webby to bed."

Mrs. Beakly bent down to separate Webby and Lena's hands. As soon as she tried, though, a spark leaped from Lena's amulet to Mrs. Beakly's hand. Mrs. Beakly jerked her hand back, staring at the amulet.

"Protection ward," Huey said, turning back a few pages. "I bet we couldn't have taken the amulet if we tried, either."

"We can't just leave them on the floor like this," Mrs. Beakly said, gesturing to the girls.

Dewey perked up with an idea. He ran out the room and across the hall to a second bedroom. It was just a spare, empty except for furniture and some of Webby's odds-and-ends scattered around. Most importantly, it had two beds.

"We can put them in here!" Dewey called back. "If we move these two beds together, they'll have plenty of room."

"Well, if we can't separate them, we might have to," Mrs. Beakly said.

"Yew do that," Uncle Scrooge said, heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" Louie asked.

"Ah have a few protections agin' magic in mah study for times like this," Uncle Scrooge said, then left.

"Who prepares for magical disasters?" Louie asked.

"Treasure hunters, that's who!" Dewey said.

"Your uncle likes to prepare for anything," Mrs. Beakly said. "Now come on, boys, help me with the beds."

"First," Huey said, glancing up from the Guidebook. "Shouldn't you bandage your arm?"

"It will be fine until we get the girls situated."

Dewey looked at Mrs. Beakly's bloody arm, then darted to where Webby kept her medical supplies. His friend kept stores of everything from cartoony Band-Aids to what Dewey was pretty sure was a field surgical kit. He quickly returned with bandages and antibiotic ointment and held them out.

"Fine," Mrs. Beakly relented, taking the supplies. "As long as you see to the burn on your cheek."

"What burn?" Dewey put a hand to his cheek, then yelped and jerked it away. "Oh, that one."

Dewey rubbed some burn cream on his cheek and made a mental note to not sleep on that side that night.

Once the pair's injuries had been taken care of, they went to work. In no time, Mrs. Beakly and the boys -mainly Dewey, since Huey was involved in his Guidebook and Louie was "supervising"- had the beds side-by-side.

They went to move the girls, which was a lot trickier than Dewey thought it would be. They tried to keep the girls close because if they were moved too far apart, whoever was closest to the amulet would get a shock. Which usually resulted in someone losing their grip, which turned to everyone getting shocked when they nearly dropped the girls.

The fact that neither girl roused was telling on how much the incident had drained them. Not even Louie could have slept through the mess of getting them into bed!

"Okay," Dewey said once the girls were settled. He shook his hands, trying to get feeling back in them. "Now what?"

"We can only wait," Huey said.

Mrs. Beakly set a chair beside the beds and sat. "You boys go play. I'll stay with them."

"Can I stay?" Dewey requested before he could help himself.

Mrs. Beakly gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll let you know when they wake up."

"I know, it's just…" Dewey looked at Webby, laying so quietly compared to her normal self. "She is going to be okay, right?"

"Of course," Mrs. Beakly said, suddenly sounding gruff. "Go on."

The boys still didn't move at first. Huey finally edged toward the door, mumbling something about finding more information before darting off. Louie glanced at the girls once more before leaving. Dewey hunched his shoulders and followed, but only to the hall.

Dewey sat against the wall, out of sight but still in hearing range. He didn't move from his post, watching as Uncle Scrooge and his brothers frequently stopped by to check on the girls. Even Launchpad, late to the excitement by a few hours, came to check.

Even when it was late and his stomach was growling, Dewey couldn't bring himself to leave. He just wrapped his arms around his knees and stared at the wall.

* * *

An uncertain amount of time later, Dewey became aware that laying on his burnt cheek. It was rather dark, too. Dewey was trying to get his muddled brain to figure out what had happened, when a soft voice pierced the darkness.

"Dewey… wake up, lad."

Dewey snapped his head up. He blinked blearily at Uncle Scrooge kneeling in front of him, wondering when he'd dozed off.

"Uncle Scrooge?" Dewey mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Are they up yet?"

"Not yet," Uncle Scrooge whispered. "But it's late. Yew should be in bed."

"No," Dewey protested sleepily as Uncle Scrooge pulled him to his feet. "Gotta… gotta stay with'em."

Uncle Scrooge just looked amused. "Yes, Dewey, ah understand. But yew can wait in yer own bed."

Dewey blinked at Uncle Scrooge. There was a flaw in that logic… but he was too tired to figure it out.

"'Kay…"

Uncle Scrooge took his arm and started to lead Dewey down the quiet hall, then froze. Dewey stumbled to a halt, senses rushing back. The air suddenly felt charged, making his feathers stand on end.

Dewey jerked away from Uncle Scrooge and ran to the doorway, ignoring his uncle's warning yell. Mrs. Beakly was halfway to her feet, Webby was writhing, and Lena-

A sudden thrashing from Lena's bed, then a flash of light and a surge of power that slammed Dewey into the wall.

* * *

**A/N: I almost think putting the last scene as the first scene of the next chapter would have been a better chapter change, but it made the POV transitions weird to me in the next chapter. I dunno. Feel free to give thoughts when I post the next chapter: should the final scene stay here or start off the next chapter?**


	6. A Shadow's Family

**A/N: I got _really_ excited for this chapter and I don't know why. XD**

* * *

_"Webby. Hey, Webby."_

"_Leave me alone," Webby mumbled. "'s too early."_

"_Nah, still nighttime. Come on, Webby, I know you can hear me."_

_Webby groaned and reached for a pillow to cover her ears… _

_Weird. Nothing moved. Her body felt dim and distant. _

_Memories hit Webby like a brick. "Lena, we're alright!"_

"_Relatively. You aren't awake, Pink."_

_Well, that explained why she couldn't move anything. "How are you talking to me?"_

_Lena laughed. "Kind of a magic thing. We're in our subconscious." _

_Webby would have gasped if she could have. "Are we talking telepathically? I knew best friends were mentally linked!"_

_Webby tried to stretch out her senses. She could sense two somethings near her. If she focused, one somehow felt like Lena. _

_She couldn't define the second thing, but it thrummed with power. When she reached toward the power, she felt a thrill run through her._

"_This is cool!"_

"_We can't stay here," Lena said. "There's limited magic keeping us here, and it's running out."_

_Webby wondered why Lena's voice was so flat. "Well, I'm sure the others are worried about us by now." Lena was silent. "Lena?"_

"_Yeah, they're worried," Lena said quietly._

"_What's wrong?"_

_Lena was quiet for a long moment. "Bringing a shadow to life takes a lot of magic."_

"_What about the amulet?"_

"_It has almost no magic left. It never did."_

"_Don't worry, the power of friendship can beat all!"_

"_It… actually takes more magic than your friendship bracelet has."_

"_Is that why we passed out?"_

"_Yeah." Another pause. "You need to wake up."_

"_Why?"_

"_You passed out because there wasn't enough magic for the spell, so your amulet -the bracelet- is pulling your life energy to compensate. I'm trying to stop it, but I can't hold it for much longer."_

_Webby felt a chill run through her. "What's that mean?"_

"_The spell is trying to complete itself, but there isn't enough magic to do it. If you don't wake up now and break the spell, it will take all of your life energy. You'll die, Webby!"_

"_O-okay, how do I wake up?"_

"_Right now, your body is too weak. Focus on the magic in here. It's your life energy. Take it back and force yourself awake."_

_Webby reached out to the magic like Lena had said, but hesitated. "What about you, Lena?"_

"_There's no time to waste, Webby! Wake yourself up before we both fade away!"_

_Webby jerked away from the energy. "Lena, what's going to happen to you? What do I need to do to complete the spell when I wake up?"_

"_You can't!" Lena snapped. "There isn't enough magic here, and there's not enough time to find a powerful enough magic source before we're both lost. Just go!"_

"_Not without you!"_

"_There's no sense in both of us dying!" _

_Despite Webby's efforts, the magic surged into her. She gasped, feeling life rush through her veins. Energy swirled in her, pulling her away from Lena._

"_Lena, no!"_

"_Sorry, Webby. At least this way, one of us will make it. Just… don't forget me."_

"_Lena!"_

* * *

Someone was shaking him. And yelling.

"Dewey! Dewey, wake up!"

They sounded worried. Really worried. Maybe he should say something…

Dewey tried to move, but the slight shifting sent pain shooting through his head. He groaned. Luckily, this was enough of a reaction to stop whoever was shaking him. Feeling was starting to return, and that shaking was really doing a number on his throbbing right shoulder.

"Uncle Scrooge, I think he's waking up." It was Huey's voice, Dewey thought. "Louie, don't shake him again. We shouldn't move him. But elevating his head and shoulders is a good idea."

Definitely Huey.

The pain faded a bit, enough for Dewey to try opening his eyes. Huey and Louie stood over him, worried expressions relaxing when Dewey focused on them.

"Ow," Dewey said. "What happened?"

"Still not sure." Huey glanced over his shoulder.

"We were coming to get you to bed, when there was a flash of light," Louie said. "When we got here, you were on the floor and Uncle Scrooge was freaking out."

"Ah was nea!" Uncle Scrooge joined the boys, smiling when he saw Dewey. "How do ya feel, Dewey?"

"Uh… like I got thrown into the wall." Dewey blinked slowly. "Wait, that's what happened, isn't it?"

"Confusion is normal," Huey said past his Junior Woodchuck Guidebook.

Louie swatted the back of Huey's head, sending his pom-pom into his face. Huey blew it out of the way and frowned at Louie.

"Yes, Dewey," Uncle Scrooge said, finally answering Dewey's question. "There was some sort'o magical backlash from the amulet."

"The girls are stable again," Mrs. Beakly said, leaving the bedroom. Plaster dust coated her clothes, and there were specks of plaster in her hair.

Dewey stared up at the housekeeper. "What happened to you?"

"I was closer the the girls when they had their… outburst," Mrs. Beakly said.

Dewey winced sympathetically. "How's Webby?"

"Still unconscious." Mrs. Beakly sighed and brushed off her clothes. "Go to bed, boys."

Dewey shook his head, briefly causing his vision to spin. "N-no way! What if there's another explosion?"

"You can't help them with that. You'd get hurt again," Huey said. "They just need time."

Dewey deflated. He let Huey help him to his feet and turn him toward their room. The boys and Uncle Scrooge didn't get far down the hall, though, before hearing a moan.

"No…"

Dewey startled. "That's Webby!"

Dewey spun and rushed back. He bounced against the doorframe when his vision doubled, but made it to Webby's bedside.

Webby's face was twisted, closed eyes clenched. She moaned again, writhing in bed. Dewey wondered if she was having a nightmare or something. He braced himself to duck if there was another explosion.

"Get back," Mrs. Beakly ordered, stepping beside him and pressing a hand against his chest.

"No, something's wrong!" Dewey yelped, struggling against Mrs. Beakly and tugs on the back of his shirt. "Webby!"

Webby turned onto her side without rousing. Her free hand flung out, reaching toward…

Lena. Dewey looked at the duckteen for the first time since entering the room.

Unlike Webby, Lena was barely moving. Slow, shallow breaths barely lifting her chest were her only movements. Her expression was tight.

"What's going on?!" Dewey demanded as Mrs. Beakly resorted to picking him up. His feathers suddenly stood up. "Oh-h, get down!"

Mrs. Beakly turned and held Dewey close, protecting the triplets with her body. Uncle Scrooge braced himself. There was a flash of light. Mrs. Beakly twitched and Uncle Scrooge's hat was blown off, but that was all.

From the beds, one of the girls gasped, then Dewey heard rustling bedsheets and Webby cry, "Lena!"

Mrs. Beakly turned, allowing Dewey to see what was going on. Not that he really understood.

Webby was awake, but her eyes were kind of cloudy and she was wobbling in her seated position. Nevertheless, she had both hands latched onto Lena's.

"Lena, no!" Webby cried shakily. "You can't go! Not after all this!"

Mrs. Beakly dropped Dewey and went to Webby. Dewey hesitated, then ran to Mrs. Beakly's side. He stumbled into the bedframe, then felt his brothers' hands on his arms.

"What's going on?" Dewey asked, looking from Lena to the panicking Webby to Huey.

"I-I don't know." Huey touched Lena. "She's cold!"

"Sh-she's disappearing," Webby said. Her eyes briefly closed, then shot open with a gasp. "Not enough magic…"

"Of course," Huey said, taking out his Guidebook to check his notes. "Do you know how much magic it takes to bring something to life?"

Everyone stared at Huey while he studied the Guidebook. Finally, Louie spoke up.

"Do _you?_"

"Um…" Huey chuckled sheepishly. "A lot?"

Webby looked at her and Lena's hands. She sniffed, then started to rub Lena's hand. Tears welled up in her eyes. Her expression was sad and defeated, which was honestly the most terrifying thing Dewey had seen that night. Probably ever.

"Don't cry," Dewey said, touching Webby's arm. "We'll figure something out!"

"I tried," Webby whispered. "But we didn't have enough magic and Lena said the spell was taking too much from me."

"How long do we have? We can find some magic!" Dewey suggested.

"In the mansion of the duck who despises magic?" Louie glanced at everyone's glares. "Okay, wrong time to point that out."

Webby continued to stroke Lena's hand. Dewey looked at Lena -who was starting to look faded again- then to Webby's friendship bracelet. It glowed weakly, not even a hint of its earlier brilliance.

They needed magic. Or, the magic needed power. It had been taking power from Webby, right? That's why she had passed out.

Dewey lifted his hand and stared at it. Could he…

Dewey carefully put his hand on Webby's wrist and squeezed, pretending to just be comforting Webby. But, he was actually gripping the friendship bracelet and trying to feel the magic.

"_Come on, how does this work?" _Dewey thought. "_Bring her back! Live! Live!"_

Nothing changed.

"_Please?" _Dewey dropped his head. "_...sorry, Lena. I want to help Webby bring you back, but… help us out here. You don't want to die, I'm sure. Webby definitely doesn't want you to die. I don't want you to die…"_

"_Ah, phooey, _nobody _wants you to die! Huey, Louie, Mrs. Beakly, even Uncle Scrooge! You're Webby's best friend, and we're all your friends! No, closer than friends. You're family."_

Weakness swept through Dewey, making him gasp slightly. He leaned against the bed, afraid to let go of Webby's wrist.

"Dewey?!"

Dewey's eyes shot open. Between his fingers, blue glowed brighter. With his free hand, he pushed away Huey's attempts to pull him back.

"Don't!" Dewey exclaimed. He started panting. "We… we can still bring Lena back!"

"It's too much!" Webby protested. Dewey noticed she was panting even harder. She hadn't let go of the spell. "Let go or else…"

For a moment, Dewey and Webby could only pant. Dewey fumbled to put his free hand over Webby and Lena's.

It was pitiful, really. Two weak ducklings -shaking and pale- desperately grasping the hand of a fading duckteen.

Dewey clenched his eyes. It wasn't going to be enough!

Then, warmth pressed against his hand on Webby's wrist. Dewey opened his eyes and saw his brothers' hands had joined the spell. The light shone brighter, while Louie fell to his knees.

"Boys, stop it!" Uncle Scrooge ordered. "It's too late! Yer goin' to hurt yerselves!"

"We have to try!" Huey said. "Come on, help us!"

Dewey wanted to add his part, but couldn't find the breath. Webby was panting hard, but took her gaze from the still-fading Lena to plead silently with Mrs. Beakly.

Uncle Scrooge looked at Mrs. Beakly. "Mrs. Beakly, help me."

Mrs. Beakly put out a hand. Dewey tensed, not wanting to be pulled away from his friend.

Instead, Mrs. Beakly put her hand over the ducklings'. The light grew even brighter. Lena stirred and gave a small moan, but didn't rouse.

Dewey's legs wobbled, and he had to sit on the edge of the bed. He felt so dizzy and tired… Webby's head dropped to her chest, though her hand remained out. Louie and Huey were quickly following.

Dewey looked at Lena. Surely, with so many people trying to bring her back, the spell would work!

Lena continued to fade. She was almost completely transparent.

Dewey's vision blurred, giving him a moment of panic before he realized it was just tears. He blinked them away. His body shuddered and he had to look away.

Uncle Scrooge still hadn't joined the group. He was staring at the fading Lena with a scowl.

"Please," Dewey pleaded with his uncle. "I-I know Lena was… was a spy. But… but she didn't want to be. I know you… you don't like her, but-"

"On the contrary, mah lad," Uncle Scrooge murmured. "Ah want Lena back, too."

"Then help us!" Huey yelled, uncharacteristic anger on his face.

"It wouldnea be enough," Uncle Scrooge said, still in that low, thoughtful tone. He reached into his jacket. "But…"

Dewey watched, distracted, as Uncle Scrooge pulled out his number one dime. He felt weird. His heart fluttered oddly in his chest and his feet were numb. He had to look at his hand to make sure it was still over the bracelet.

Dewey blinked heavily, eyelids drooping. He watched his hand start to slip. Were his efforts even helping, or would it all be for nothing? If he didn't let go and it still wasn't enough, what then? If he didn't pull away now, would he, too, fade?

"Wait, Dewey!"

Dewey's eyes snapped back open at Uncle Scrooge's harsh command. Uncle Scrooge had a hold on his shoulder, currently the only thing keeping Dewey from toppling to the floor.

"Yew have gone too deep," Uncle Scrooge said. "Release the spell now and… we will nea lose just Lena."

Dewey swallowed with difficulty and looked at his brothers. Louie watched everyone with wide eyes. Huey, always the one to give his all, was being held upright by Mrs. Beakly, the only one contributing to remain relatively unaffected.

"I thought…" Dewey gasped for breath, "...bring her… back."

"Magica, yew went too far," Uncle Scrooge said to… his dime? "Ah know yew've been waitin', buildin' and stealin' yer magic."

Uncle Scrooge jerked off his number one dime, pressed it into his palm, then slapped his hand over all the others.

"It's aboot time yew contributed."

Energy surged through Dewey, snapping him upright with a gasp. The others reacted similarly, Webby even shooting into a seated position.

"What-" Webby started.

Dewey's feathers stood on end. He groaned. "Here we go again."

Light flashed, even brighter than the first time. There was no outburst of magic, though energy flooded into Dewey. The sudden relief made him dizzy. So dizzy, in fact, that his knees gave out and he gracelessly face-planted.

"Dewey!" His brothers cried, while Mrs. Beakly shouted, "Webby!"

Darkness swept over his vision, and Dewey didn't even try to resist. He gave into the exhaustion of his overworked body.

But not before hearing Uncle Scrooge say, "Welcome back, Lena."

* * *

**A/N: So, in the original Ducktales, Scrooge's number one dime is a huge source of magic, that's why the original Magica is always after it. I rather liked that element and used it here, though the reason is different.**

**Short epilogue to follow.**


	7. Epilogue

**A/N: One last chapter for adorability. Many thanks to my amazing readers and reviewers!**

* * *

Webby sat on a tree branch high off the ground. Swaying slightly in the breeze, legs dangled over open air, only one hand resting on the branch kept Webby in place. Her eyes were closed, face turned upward.

On the ground some thirty feet below, Dewey tried to not have a heart attack. He resisted the urge to yell at Webby, for fear of startling her.

"If you concentrate any harder, you're gonna lay an egg."

Dewey jumped a foot in the air at Lena's voice. He hurriedly shushed the teen without taking his eyes off Webby.

"What're you- oh. What's Webby doing?"

Dewey shrugged, finally glancing at his companion.

Lena still looked the same way she always had, before the incident a week before. Her attitude was the only thing that had changed, and only slightly at that. She was understandably wary of the adults in the mansion, despite Uncle Scrooge's reassurances and Mrs. Beakly's acceptance. To the triplets, she acted the same. With Webby, Lena was happier than Dewey had ever seen anyone.

Not that he blamed her. Webby was an amazing friend. Even knowing the dangers, Webby had been willing to give her life for a hopeless spell to bring Lena back. If Uncle Scrooge had acted even ten seconds later… well, nobody was sure if there would have been enough magic to bring two ducks back to life.

As it was, Webby and Lena had slept for three days, both girls waking in the same second. Huey and Louie had taken a day to recover, and Mrs. Beakly had only needed to sleep the rest of the night. Uncle Scrooge hadn't given anything himself, though his number one dime had gained a tarnished appearance. And Dewey… okay, he'd been out as long as the girls.

He'd been a bit closer to the edge than he liked to think.

"Hey, Webby!" Lena called, startling Dewey from his thoughts.

Webby jumped, blinking back to the present and giving Dewey another heart attack when she wobbled on her perch. She quickly caught herself and beamed down at her friends.

"Get down from there before Dewey calls the fire department," Lena said, grinning at Dewey's flustered cry.

Webby laughed and clambered to the ground in seconds. She bounced in place, feeling light and warm from her time in the sun.

"What were you doing up there, Pink?" Lena asked as the trio meandered toward the mansion.

"Just thinking," Webby said.

"About what?" Dewey asked.

Webby opened her mouth, then paused. She… hadn't really been thinking, really. But since the incident, she'd often found herself sitting in the sun and soaking up the warmth.

"I don't know," Webby finally said.

Dewey just shook his head at her and reached up to pluck a leaf from her feathers. Lena snatched the leaf and stuck it in his feathers. Dewey yelped and tried to brush it away, but Lena had stuck it in good. Webby pulled another leaf from her sleeve and jumped up to stick it into the feathers on the other side of his head.

Webby and Lena laughed at Dewey's "ears." Dewey started to pull the leaves out, then shrugged and left them. His beak split in a grin.

The three friends walked on, not noticing their matching blue friendship bracelets glowing brighter as their laughter rose louder.

* * *

**A/N: Webby was totally soaking up the sunlight to refill her majorly depleted energy. Besides the power of friendship, Webby's charged by sunlight, Dewey by moonlight, and Lena by shadows. They can all do minor magic with the bracelet amulets. Does that mean anything? No, I just made it up and rather like it.**

**Griffin, out!**


End file.
